AN: Hi guys. First things first. No, i am not stopping any of my other Final Fantasy related works, so no worries there. I did however, recieve huge inspiration to write this fiction, so i just had to do it. The updates will be coming in a timely manner, so i shouldnt keep you all waiting to long for what happens next. As for how long this fiction will be? Im not really sure yet. It could be as long as 'Better Late Than Never' or it could be significantly shorter. It all depends on the responce i get.
A HUGE thanks goes to Jayliyah85 for helping me create the title along with some structure for the story. This really would have been impossible without her help.
Also, before i forget, I am working on a Final Fantasy 7 (cloti) joint project. It is featured under Ash Ai's site, who is my favorite cloti writer and comes highly reccomended from me. I should also mention mention Carie Valentine who has an exceptional writing style with unusual plots for our favorite ff8 cast.
A few things you need to know abotu this story. Its kinda a whatif semi-AUish fiction. Here, both parents of Squall and Rinoa are all alive. Squall and Rinoa have not met before as well. I will be taking various events from the game, which you will read below, and i hope i can clear up any confusion. Thanks for reading guys, and as always, enjoy!
Being the commander frankly just sucked sometimes. No one ever wants to look at you the same way as before. Then again people have to want to look at you in the first place for that little rant to hold any validity to it.
The chestnut haired leader leaned back in his chair just enough to look up upon the ceiling and search for answers in that vast pool of nothingness. His eyes wandered around looking for some point for him to focus on, but there would be no salvation for him there. It felt like today would be just like any other and every other day here at the academy.
Actually the past week had been worse than normal. The only person he could at least tolerate long enough to have a conversation with was away on a mission. It couldn't be helped though. Due to a few recent fatal altercations on some rather dangerous missions, they were shorthanded on instructors around here in Balamb.
Normally this really would be an issue for the Headmaster to deal with, being a non-combat related problem, but many of these instructors were SeeDs and thus also full time mercenaries. Not to mention the instructors being sent over would be coming from Galbadia Garden.
That meant they would require the services of 'honor guards' in order to guarantee their safety while crossing into the Balamb area. It had nothing to do with those running the Galbadia Garden as they had long ago been forced to submit to the laws established by Garden, but the continent itself was another matter all together.
Their current leader wasn't such a difficult fellow. But the General of the Galbadian army was another issue entirely. That war-mongering snobbish prick kept looking for different reasons for attacking neutral cities, and especially the long time enemy it found in Esthar.
It amazed Squall to no end how someone who appeared to take so much pleasure in pure and raw bloodlust could possibly have found a wife in a woman as stunning or as beautiful as Julia….Julia….
What was her maiden name anyways? That too appears to have been smudged over in the Galbadian records. It was probably to protect some underhanded dealings in his wife's past. It would be easy enough for a man in his position to do anyways.
Squall brushed back his hair as he continued to lean back, his mind now fully devoted to the Caraway family. It wasn't like there was much else to do or think about at the moment.
He smirked to himself as Squall realized that in truth, he didn't hold complete contempt for the Galbadian General. The man was actually quite honorable once you get to know him. Not to mention that his true passion seemed to be related to protecting his family, even if that meant he had to use overzealous means in which to do so.
The sleek black leather chair began to make a creaking noise as Squall rocked back and forth while sitting in it as these memories were being recalled. Yes he had worked with the General before on just one occasion.
It appears General Caraway could hardly risk using men from his own command for a particular risky mission, and the Galbadian Garden was likely to have been compromised by the threat. Trabia Garden was still far too inexperienced in dealing with such a high level mission, leaving the original of the trio of Gardens to take the job.
It was the assassination of a sorceress, the infamous Edea who rose to power with her charm, her looks, and magic to manipulate her way into leadership.
So how did a stoic uncaring rookie of SeeD get assigned a mission to eliminate an all-powerful sorceress after he refused to attend his own graduation ceremony or even take part in his first mission which he deemed would be an utter failure?
Naturally the Headmaster of Balamb Garden wouldn't divulge such details to someone so unworthy, but Squall already had an idea why.
It was definitely related to his lineage. His parents had played a crucial role in the downfall of the last sorceress who quickly rose to power and threatened to conquer the world. That's probably why they were given command of Esthar and treated with so much respect and dignity in that hidden city.
However Squall wasn't going to let his old man beat him to it. Taking down one sorceress would hardly be enough, especially since the one he took out was still just on her way to rising to power. No he needed to take down the all-powerful Ultimcia as well and thus hopefully forever end this damned cycle of women with demonic powers seeking to take over the world.
He didn't join SeeD to be given the opportunity to earn the same honor his parents had. No, he just wanted to get away. He wanted to get away from the lights, the cameras, and the instant popularity wherever he went in town. Squall Leonhart wanted to earn his own way through life and prove he wasn't just a child trying to escape from his father's shadow.
There was however, one advantage to the privileged life that Squall did thoroughly enjoy. And that was the dances. Could he dance? Did he even like to? Hardly. But that didn't mean there wasn't someone he was anxiously waiting to meet with each time.
Sure, he couldn't remember what her name was, or how they had met, or even what she really looked like. None of that mattered because all he needed to remember was that he loved this girl.
Alright, that may be a bit extreme for a twelve year old at the time, but that didn't make his feelings any less valid did it? Did he profess his love for the dark-haired, assuming she had dark hair, beauty back when he was still just approaching his teenage years? Of course not. He needed to grow and experience life a bit more before realizing the affects a young girl had on him when even the most sensual female he meets now a days raises nothing more than mild attraction. Hindsight was always twenty-twenty and thus far easier to analyze.
Squall Leonhart's daydream was quickly shattered to pieces as his assistant commander came blaring into the room as if her heels were on fire. Her face was winded and red forcing her to bend down enough so she could rest her hands upon her knees and pant for a few moments before delivering the urgent news.
Doubting that anything that happened just now could really be as serious as Xu thought, and knowing her ability to over exaggerate even the simplest situation, Squall merely waited behind his desk, though he was sitting forward with his arms folded together. If she indeed did feel the need to just barge into his room without proper notice, then it wouldn't be something he could dismiss altogether.
He didn't say a word as his eyes studied her now recomposed self. Once she was sure she had enough of her breath back in order to provide a full report to the commander, she divulged what information she had.
"Commander!" She somehow managed to perform a pretty standard salute, though it still looked like she would pass out any moment. "Seifer reported in. He and the instructors are being pinned down in Dollet by Galbadian Soldiers. They are under heavy fire and…" She took a few more moments to breathe, not to add any unneeded suspense that wouldn't get across to Squall anyways "And he requires backup."
The only appearance of shock Squall showed was the slight arc of his eyebrow, while mentally he fell of his chair while his mind entered some strange limbo. 'Seifer is asking for help? That arrogant prick is actually in enough trouble to call for backup? This doesn't sound good.'
No matter how much he referred to Seifer negatively in his mind, Squall did have great respect for his abilities. Truth be told, he was the closest thing to a friend Squall had at Balamb, or anywhere else for that matter. They had a mutual and twisted sense of trust and kinship, a bond formed between men who had been on the battlefield. They'd spilled the same blood on the same mud.
Squall once again leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for but a few moments. By now Xu should have understood all of his little mannerisms and quirks, yet she was still shocked for him to take this news quite so casually.
What the commander was really doing was quickly organizing his thoughts and deciding on the best course of action. He had a reputation for being a man of few words and he saw no reason to go against it.
"I'll go. Take over for me." And that was all that needed to be said. Could he have just as easily sent in a regiment of SeeD to help his people slip out of town? Sure. He could have done that, but then he would still be stuck in this office filling out forms while he could only worry about his deployed men. And like any good commander, he did worry about each and every one of them. That and he had faith in his own abilities. It was other people he had a hard time trusting.
Dollet was usually such a calm and peaceful town, but the Galbadian Army quickly made light of that situation as they redeployed their troops in this region in order to search for those missing terrorists.
Someone had tipped them off. A group of terrorists who were singling out the Galbadian army had disguised themselves as SeeD instructors in order to pass through. The funny thing was when they first encountered the group of supposed SeeDs, they managed to fight pretty well. Too well for that matter. It was almost like their informant had lied and they really were attacking a bunch of neutral mercenaries.
No matter. There orders were to hunt down and kill them first and ask questions later. What was one more dead enemy of the state anyways?
As good as they were, these SeeD did suffer a few casualties while retreating and dispersing into the town of Dollet in order to hide within the populace. While the army would have no problems attacking this convoy just outside the city, they would suffer severe international consequences for trampling this town once again so soon.
A more tactful plan was needed. One that allowed many of the SeeD instructors enough time to slip out of the city and towards freedom. The problem with the military was they often acted slow and made a lot of noise with their movements. They were ill suited to finding out mercenaries trained to think and act on their own. Then again, the Galbadians were supposed to be after terrorists, not real SeeDs.
A lone girl who was wearing a black ensemble with a tattered light blue feather duster hid in the shadows as she saw a regiment of troops walk by. That familiar costume and goosestep left no doubt in her mind just who was entering Dollet again.
She inched backwards slowly until she was sure that this particular patrol had walked out of sight. 'Damn! What are they doing here? Could they really have tracked me so far? Would Caraway really send that many troops to come after me?' Her thoughts were interrupted when the back of her heel hit against something that refused to move.
If Rinoa had stayed at her parents' home and learned to be the good little girl they always wanted her to be, the sight that lay behind her would have at least caused her to scream. However Rinoa lived a far rougher life as a freedom fighter and she had seen many dead corpses. This was however, the first time she had ever seen a dead SeeD.
'I thought these guys were supposed to be invincible. Then again I guess a bomb blast is no respecter of people.' A Galbadian tank had accidentally misfired creating a bit of a crater behind her. Of course the people would discover tomorrow that the terrorists had planted a bomb in order to create more havoc. The fact that the bomb was placed in a relatively empty part of town would be entirely overlooked.
Her puppy dog brown eyes carefully studied the dead body of the slender redhead that lay before her. It appeared as if lady luck was in her favor tonight. This would tie in perfectly with her plans. Hopefully no one should notice her little attempt at deception.
Her jet black hair swayed as she turned her head several times to ensure that no soldiers, or more importantly, peeping toms, were looking in her direction. A girl of her…build learned to be watchful of such things and Rinoa had an uncannily good eye for that. All part of being a general's daughter one supposes.
She was able to quickly change into the SeeD clothes that managed to be just a size too large upon her body, but nothing that seemed awkwardly out of place. She tucked her shimmering strands of hair into her hat and was about to walk off as a pang of guilt struck her.
There was no way Rinoa could leave a dead body defiled like that in the streets. She quickly gathered up her old clothes and began dressing up the deceased with them. Rinoa looked around and found a place to lean the body against so that it would be discovered eventually, once daylight struck the area.
In her clothes she found a civilian ID along with a SeeD one. The latter might cause too much trouble, but leaving her civilian card should at least help her family find out what happened.
As helpful as it was, one had to remember that a woman had died here just now. Someone somewhere would soon be grieving the loss of a daughter, the loss of a sister, and maybe most tragically, the loss of a lover.
That is why people like her father must be stopped. The senseless fighting and his intense bloodlust could no longer go unopposed. Her mother was still unable to put an end to her father's tyranny. That meant it was all up to her.
Rinoa closed her eyes and respectfully bowed her head while she muttered a silent prayer asking for the safe passage of this troubled soul.
Why take so much trouble for a complete stranger? Because her death meant that Rinoa might live just a few days longer. It was a precious gift she would never waste. Not after all the fallen comrades she had to known in her life.
Once satisfied with her little funeral, Rinoa tugged her cap down just a little bit to further cover her face from the average person, and stole away into the night to seek refuge in the town.
Many in Dollet were sympathetic to the SeeDs cause. They had liberated them once before and aided them when no one else was even willing to help. This too would play to the young woman's advantage.
Maybe, just maybe if she played her cards right, she could seduce one of their SeeDs just enough to help her sneak out of town.
It was quite late in the evening by the time Squall made it to the outskirts of Dollet. To the average person it looked like any other sleepy town in the middle of the night, however with his trained eye he could follow the trail of destruction that lay before him.
It would be easy enough to find Seifer. All he would have to do is follow the path of dead Galbadian Soldiers.
And he would to, first thing in the morning. The Galbadians knew they were at too far a disadvantage to hunt anyone in the evening so his SeeDs should all be safe for the night. Right now Squall needed a quiet place to stay and a warm meal to eat.
Sneaking into a quarantined city managed to build up one's appetite.
Squall wasn't a total dunce. He knew he was considered a rather handsome man. After having dozens of idol struck teenage girls follow you around the Garden for an absurd amount to time, the message eventually gets across. Maybe it was the leather jacket with just a hint of fur around the edges? Perhaps it was the scar? Someone told him chicks dig scars. Sadly that someone was his father, but that's another story.
Whatever the reason, he was confident in his abilities to charm his way into a clean bed and a hearty meal. Who knows, maybe he will run into a pretty girl while he's there.
Somone once told me that if a presenter does a bad job, its because he got poor feedback from his audience. Well you guys dont want me to start writing crud do you? Nah im just kidding, i wouldn't do that. But i would and do appreciate reviews full of your questions, comments, and critiques and general reviews. The more you have to say, the more i can learn what you guys respond to. Thank you for reading and i hope you will indeed take teh time to review. Until next time, take care. :-)